Draft appliance for locomotives.



C. J. MBLLIN. DRAFT APPLIANCB FOR LocoMoTIvEs.

Patented Oct. 21,1913.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 11, 1913.

G. J. MELLIN. DRAFT APPLIANGE FOR LOGOMOTIVES. APPLIUATION FILED 11111.11, 1913.

1,076,142. Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT-OFFICE.

.cant-.1. meaux, on scnmvncrann New roms. I

naam anuencia ma mecanismo l Specicattonofietters Patent.

Application and :anary' i1, ma. serial No. 741,400.

comotive engines of the varim's vpresent standard constructions, whereby the draft necessary to support combustion under service conditions maybe induced more economically than by means heretofore ordinarily employed, and the degree of-draft induced may be, at all times, undery the regulation'and control of the engineer.

.The rovement claimed is hereinafter fully set ort In the accompan drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical Ionglytiiiinal central section through the smoke box and forward portion of the waist of a locomotive boiler, illustrating an application of my invention;

Fig. 2, a front view, partly in section, of

the smoke box; Fig. 3, a section, on an en-Y larged scale, through a stationary vblade block; Fig. 4, a section, Von a similar scale,l through a nozzle box; Fig. 5, a rear view of a portion of the fan rotor; and Fig. 6,

` on the door and on t ..aisli'al manner. f -111 the practice of my invention, acasing;V -8 .,-of.approximately frnsto conical fm, is' '.,conneoted to the -ront ii-ue sheet, 1?, ofthef a front view of a portion of the same. My, invention is herein exemplified as applied in connection with a locomotive boiler,v l, having va plurality of re tubes, 2, throu h; b which the products of combustion from t e rebox, which is not shown, are dischargedinto a smoke box, 3, which is provided 'with' a stack, 4, and has, `bolted to its forward end, a f1-ont, 5, having an o ening which, in this inStanCe, is eccentric V. o thefaxial lineg .of the boiler, and isclosed bly a door, 6,.-

4-5. which is connected to thegsmo boiler, said casingurrounding lther-fs' et bile tubes, 2, and serving to convey the. products of combustion therefrom to the opemn of an annular yfan intake latc,',9, which 1s located a short distance belxind the smoke box front, 5, and Vis connected thereto'.

bya plurality of tie bars, 9".v A, curveddi- Vlslon plate los extinds tha 8, to thetop of the smoke box, terminating thereat on, one. side of the stack, 4, said plate Patenteuoeazaieia.

separating the space witbin the' s nioliie box,

on theexterior of the casin air chamber, 10, and a .into a dead passage. 10",

which leads aroundA the. casing and intalge A plate'to the stack.

and a p urality of peripheral curved blades, 11, fixed thereto, 1s. located in the. -9rward 'portion ofthe smoke box, and secured, 011

a shaft, 12, which is ournaled in a. bearing, 12am ,thesmoke hoxdea', ansi. a. bearing,

12b, on a tubularbearing support, 625ecured centrally to, and 'projexiiing outwardIf-y p from, the door. The end thrust of the: sha is taken oni ball bearings, 12,.ro1lng on' a face on the support, 6*?, and. the rings, 12%V and, 12b. may alsobe offtheball 1f preferred. A. conical ',shi'eld,.1 3' `s. se ured to lugs,f 11 the for e passa e o air. .eingln 1, enigen the shieldgand. rotor, byribis l)", prg'letlll from uw latter, the openings betweeawhie. :form air vents, and an air'passage, 12%.@9111- `municating with said space and with thev atmosphere, extends through'- the shaft, A.12. The shield protects the 'inner ,bearing of the fan shaft. from the direct action ofthe hot gases in thesmoke box, and, in .the .rotation .of `the fan, a current of 'cold a-ir is drawn in through the air passage of .theshafa which further Serves to Prevent htngfth caring. The centriual anrSuita-ble gno or, and,`i1.i this instance S shownl as dnveu directlyf by ,e 'turbne, icomprisingf an annular groter, '14

whichv is Statiellsy 0r fide blades', v1.5.5 are internosed between tflitwo Arows of rotor blades,

fan may lamented i bolted to the forward 'side of the "rotor, lirici the fan, and two ,rows vQJP'eblocka'jl'fboltedlo the' Smoke box front,

desired tliest'ejain being sup lied t0' thel ordinary ,manner of turbine' constuctiens .sai'd'aatmrybhdes'being fixed 11n blade v 195 -Stemisadmitted to theturbne than; h Lnbaaies, L65' leading from, nozzlubexes, 1. ,1. 'connected' to the smokel box, 6,!on, two', 01" more o fwhich nozzle boxes may be used., as

leading from the steam space of the boiler, and controlled by a valve in the cab of the locomotive (not shown) by which the speed of the turbine, and consequently the degree of draft upon the re, may be regulated in accordance with the requirements of service. As shown in Fig. 2, the swivel joint of the steam supply pipes, 17 and 18, is lo-V cated in line axially with the hinge pin, 7, of the smoke box door, so that the door may be opened and closed, as may, from time to time, be required, without disconnecting the pipes. The exhaust steam from the turbine is discharged into the spiral passage, 10b, leading to the stack, through the spaces between small radial blades, llc, on the rotor of the fan, adjoining the periphery thereof.

The exhaust'steam from the cylinders of the locomotive is discharged into the stack through an exhaust pipe, 15J), which is open or unrestricted in diameter.

The present universally applied method of inducing draft in locomotive boilers, c'. e., by the use of a restricted exhaust pipe from the cylinders, which produces a blast through the stack, involves the well recognized and substantial objection of causing a back pressure upon the pistons which results in a material reduction of power. This is particularly serious in compound locomotives, by reason of the large area of the low pressure piston. or pistons. Further, the draft induced by the exhaust blast is not, under all circumstances, proportionate to the demands upon the fire, being, at times, insuliicient to generate the required volume of steam, and, at other times, in excess of the requirements of service. These objections are entirely overcome by my invention,

the exhaust discharge being unrestricted, and the action of the fan upon the fire being regulated by the engineer in direct proportion to the conditions of operation of the locomotive. The even and comparatively low draft induced by the fan, and the aetion of the fan blades upon particles of unconsumed fuel that may be drawn through the tubes, will also tend to prevent t-he projection of sparks and cinders from the stack.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:-

1. The combination, lWith a locomotive boiler, of a door hinged to and closing an opening in the front of the smoke box thereof, a shaft journaled in a bearing on said door, a rotor lixed on said shaft adjacent to the inner side of said door, a plurality of turbine blades fixed on the side of the rotor adjoining said door, a plurality of centrifugal fan blades fixed on the opposite side of the rotor, and means for supplying Steam to the turbine blades of the rotor.

2.'The combination, with a locomotive boiler, of a fan shaft j ournaled in the smoke box door and having an air passage from the atmosphere to its inner end, a centrifugal fan secured thereon, and means for rotating said fan.

3. The combination, with a locomotive boiler, of a fan shaft journaled in the smoke box door and having an air passage from the atmosphere to its inner end, a centrifugal fan secured thereon, a shield fixed lo and spaced apart from the inner side of said fan, andmeans for rotating said fan.

4. The combination, with a locomotive boiler, of a fan shaft journaled in the smoke box door and having an air passage from the atmosphere to its inner end. a centrif-A ugal fan secured thereon, a shield fixed lo and spaced apart from the inner side of said fan, ribs interposed between the centrifugal fan and the shield adjacent to the periphery of the latter and providing air vents from the space between the fan and shield, and means for rotating said fan.

5. The combination, with a locomotive boiler, of a tubular bearing support fixed to and projecting outwardly from the smoke box door, bearings in linev axiallyv in the door and in said support, a fan shaft journaled in said bearings, a centrifugal fan secured thereon, and means for rotating said fan.

6. The combination, with a locomotive boiler, of a fan rshaft journaled in the smoke box do-or, a centrifugal fan secured thereon, a steam turbine having .its rotor fixed to said fan, a nozzle block fixed on the smoke box door, a nozzle in said block adapted to discharge into said turbine, and means for supplying steam to said nozzle block.

7. The combination, With a locomotive boiler, of a fan shaft journaled in the smoke box door, a centrifugal fan secured thereon, a steam turbine having its rotor fixed to said fan, a nozzle box fixed in the smoke box door, a nozzle in said box adapted to discharge into said turbine, and articulated steam pipes leading from the boiler to said nozzle box.

8. The combination, with a locomotive boiler, of a fan shaft journaled in the smoke box door, a centrifugal fan secured thereon, a steam turbine having its rotor fixed to said fan, a blade block fixed to the smoke box front, stationary blades fixed in said blade block,I and means for supplying steamv to the rotor of the turbine.

9. The combination, with a locomotive boiler, of a fan shaft journaled in the smoke box door, a centrifugal fan secured thereon, a steam turbine having its rotor fixed to said fan, radial ribs adjoining the periphery of the fan between the fan and the rotor of the turbine, the spaces between said ribs providing discharge vents for steam from the turbine, and means for supplying-'steam to the rotor of the turbine.

10. The combination, with a locomotive boiler, of a fan shaft journaled in the smoke box door, eccentric to the axial line of the boiler, a centrifugal fan secured thereon, an annular fan inlet plate secured to the smoke box front, a casing extending from the front flue sheet of the boiler, around the tubes` thereof, to the inlet plate, a division plate extending from said casing to the shell of the smoke bo-x and dividing the space in the smoke box, exterior to the casing, into a dead air space and a spiral passage communicating With the periphery of the fan and leading to the stack, Aand means for rotating the centrifugal fan.

l1. In combinationwith a locomotive boiler having a smoke box and provided with a front lflue sheet, a shaft mounted in the smoke box front eccentric to the axial line of the boiler, a Acentrifugal fan secured 20 inlet plate, and a. partition so located in the 25 smoke box that an exterior dead air space is formed on one side and a spiral passage leading from the periphery of the fan to the stack on the other side.

CARL J. MELLIN.

Witnesses:

G. F. BLUET, R. F. HALL. 

